DP Rewrite
by Maya095
Summary: D.P. Rewrite! Michitaru Hara is 16 and new to Shizume City. Living an ordinary life is hard enough as a teen, but now thanks to Suoh Mikoto it just got a whole lot harder. With her life now upside down and backward, Hara is finding the world she knew to be wider and stranger than ever imagined. Slow burn fic. Enjoy! K belongs to GoRA/GoHands.
1. Introduction

**Introduction**

Long black hair swung from side to side as a girl, around 16, looked at her surroundings. She kept her back straight, brown eyes taking in her surroundings. Her nerves made her hands shake, but she was determined not to let it show. People stared as she made her way silently through the crowd to the administration building. There she met with an older man with graying hair and a young boy her age standing at his side. The boy's bright red hair surprised her as his amber eyes locked onto her brown ones. He looked bored and disinterested but it was overshadowed by the intensity of his gaze. The young woman looked away to avoid his sharp eyes and began to follow the older man inside the small school office. The older man sat behind a large oak desk as the two teens stood before it.

"Michitaru Hara-san, welcome to Blah Blah High School. My name is Sato Ruiji, I am the headmaster here. This young man beside you is Suoh Mikoto-san. He will be leading you to your shared homeroom class." Hara looked at the boy beside her. She nodded in understanding while Suoh Mikoto continued to look bored. He almost looked like he was about to fall asleep on his feet. Ignoring him again she turned away.

"And my class schedule, according to the one I received I was supposed to also attend a cookery class even though I already took one at my previous school. Is there any way to change it to the more advanced class?" The headmaster beamed at her.

"Oh, I would need to discuss that with the teacher for that class. We will update you by the end of the week." Hara nodded again hopeful. Suoh turned then, leaving Hara to follow behind. At the door to their homeroom, Suoh walked in as she waited at the door. The teacher called for silence before beckoning Hara to enter.

"Everyone, this is our new transfer student, Go ahead and introduce yourself," Hara stood before the room with a nervous smile.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Michitaru Hara. I look forward to working with you." She gave a slight bow at the waist before straightening to see several people trying to stand and see over their peers at her. She hated being stared at. She was directed to her seat towards the back to the left of Suoh. Taking her seat she felt nervous as several pairs of eyes openly gawked at her. It was the reason she hated transferring in halfway through the semester.

The classes were short and boring, with Hara only paying attention to a fourth of it. She looked out the window when the bell rang for lunch. Suoh got up from his seat to her right as an older boy from another class came in calling for him. A few girls could be heard swooning over the upperclassman.

"Yo, Mikoto!" He called waving at the boy. Suoh only looked at him.

"Kusanagi, hey." He replied flatly. Hara wasn't paying much mind, not noticing Suoh watching her as Kusanagi approached.

"Oh, new girl huh?" Kusanagi said as he leaned forward towards Hara as she finally took notice. "What's your name? I'm Kusanagi Izumo." She didn't reply and only gave him a hard look. She could feel the eyes of everyone in the room on them as Kusanagi got even closer. Not wanting to start a riot as the girls began to glare, Hara stood from her seat and promptly left the room. "Wah, does she hate me?"

"I wonder," Suoh replied, making Kusanagi laugh. Watching her dark locks disappear around the corner Kusanagi turned to Suoh with a question in his eyes. "What?" He said rudely and walked from the room. Kusanagi ran to keep up.

"So, who's the new beauty?" Kusanagi asked, leaning towards Suoh's ear. Suoh ignored the older boy and pulled out a juice box from his bag. Shoving the straw into his mouth he took a sip.

"Michitaru Hara," Kusanagi mumbled to himself. Suoh resumed sucking on the straw as Kusanagi got a contemplative look on his face. Looking forward they noticed said girl standing about five feet ahead of them looking at a poster board with after school activities on display. Kusanagi ran up to her leaving Suoh to catch up.

"Michitaru-san!" He called making the girl flinch. Kusanagi noticed that while her eyes were brown when hit by the light they held some gold and green as well. "Are you interested in something?" She just turned back to the display without an answer. Suoh looked on from the side seeing the red, black, and brown splashes of color in her hair.

"Is that your real hair?" Suoh asked unexpectedly. The girl scoffed at him.

"Of course it is. What are you, stupid?" Suoh ignored the jab while Kusanagi grinned at her. Looking her up and down he could see her long legs were lean with muscle and silently appreciated the sight. Her hair fell to her mid-back and her posture was straight and strong.

"Are you the athletic type, Michitaru-san?" She just shrugged making Kusanagi beam. "I'm wondering, would you be okay with joining us for lunch? We normally just sit outside and do nothing. I can show you the school website that has all of the after school activities on it." Shaking her head she faced the pair.

"No thanks, I already was on the site this morning. The only interesting thing they have is volleyball and cookery and I'm already trying to join the advanced cookery class they have available." Kusanagi was dumbfounded. "Now, I have to stop by the administration department. Excuse me," she said with a bow that the boys returned and let her walk away. Suoh watched those long legs as she continued away from them.

"Wow," Kusanagi said with a smile. "What do you think, Mikoto?" The redhead only shrugged off his question and continued on his way outside.

"Well, Michitaru-san, we don't have any open slots for you right now. Maybe you can get in at the start of next year." The headmaster smiled warmly and Hara sighed while making her way back to class. She ended up not eating in order to avoid Suoh and Kusanagi and was now paying the price. Pulling a cracker from her bag five minutes before the bell she ate slowly, thinking. If she couldn't get into any after school programs it wouldn't be too much of an issue. Maybe she could convince her mother to let her get a part-time job instead. At least that way she can do something with her time and make a little money too. Suoh marched into the room with Kusanagi waving at her from the door but she ignored them both, instead focusing on the teacher as he entered the room.

"Alright, everyone. Let's settle down and get in your seats." The class gave out a respective yes as they took their seats. "Michitaru-san is it?" Hara looked up at her name and nodded still with the cracker in her mouth. "We must finish swallowing before class begins. So, please?" Hara's face flushed as she ate the cracker in a single bite. The class tittered at her in response.

"Apologises, sir. I was in a lunch meeting and had no time to eat." The teacher nodded in understanding.

"It happens, just don't let it happen again. Now everyone, turn to page 202 in your books and let's begin." Hara sighed as a few girls in the room whispered to each other and laughed. Hara knew they were making fun of her and it made her flush in embarrassment. Looking down at her book she chose to focus on that for the remainder of the day. When it was finally over, Hara stood from her desk at the same time as Suoh. She looked up at him under her lashes curiously only to see him fully and very openly staring at her. She froze, unable to move as his intense gaze as he somehow looked through her. Not wanting to make this encounter obvious to the rest of the class she quickly looked away and gathered her things. The whole time he stood there, watching her almost like he was waiting for something. Not being able to stand it any longer she threw her bag over her shoulder and quickly left the room, only for heavy footfalls to follow her.

"You know," he said, catching her off guard. "Volleyball starts to recruit in two weeks. You could try out." Hara was taken aback and stared at the boy wide-eyed.

"Uh, thanks?" Suoh shrugged her off.

"Kusanagi said I should mention it." She blinked at him curiously and he did the same at her in return. She dipped her head and continued to walk away from him only for him to continue following her. "He told me to invite you to me." She stopped dead in her tracks.

"What?" She said incredulously. Suoh shrugged again.

"He said you need friends. Don't ask me what he's up to, I don't know." Suoh stepped around her then and continued on his way. Ignoring the invitation she walked on as well and found they went in opposite directions at a certain crossroads. "Yo." She turned at the word only to see Suoh speaking to Kusanagi and a middle school kid in the park ahead of him. Looking away quickly, Hara ran off on her own.

"Oh, King! Who was that girl with you?" Suoh looked the blonde over with a blank expression. "She's pretty!" Kusanagi rolled his eyes and laughed.

"That's Michitaru Hara. Too bad for us, she sits right next to this moron but he'll never notice how pretty she is. It's a waste. That poor girl." Kusanagi leaned back stretching his back. "Anyways, what should we do today? Mikoto? Totsuka?" Suoh looked in the direction Hara ran off in and shrugged.

"Whatever you want," Suoh grumbled in reply before turning and walking away.

"You know," the older boys stopped to look back at their young companion. "I bet she's gonna be someone great, just like King."

**A/N: **Heyyyy guys! So this is a rewrite I am doing of Danger Prone and I have to say it's already so much better than the original! I am so happy to be back here again with you and I am having my heart broken by K all over again. I am using honorifics in this story as there is no real way of translating them without being super formal and calling everyone Mr., Ms., Mrs., etc. Anyways, I hope you're all enjoying this so far and you let me know what you all think! Please review, follow, and favorite!

Also, please don't forget to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Blogspot for import news, updates, and sneak peeks of my work.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Hara sat up in bed not at all looking forward to the day. It's been 2 weeks since she entered her new school and she still had not a single friend. On top of that, Kusanagi Izumo kept pestering her to hang out with him and his grumpy redheaded companion, Suoh Mikoto. The only thing she had to look forward to was the volleyball tryouts today. Throwing back her blankets, she walked to her dresser and slowly gathered her clothes. If she was going to try out for the team, she needed a spare change of clothes so she wouldn't be stuck walking home in sweaty, smelly gear.

"Looks like it's going to be one of 'those days', huh?" Slowly dressing, she mentally prepared herself for the day before grabbing her pre-packed lunch from the fridge and making her way out. Walking to school was nice, the only thing she enjoyed so far about the place was all the sakura trees. She loved flowering trees, the pink petals swayed softly in the spring breeze as it brought the flowers sweet aroma to tickle her nose.

"King!" Hara looked over her shoulder and saw the same middle school boy from her walks home as he ran up excitedly to Suoh Mikoto and Kusanagi Izumo. Hara quickly faced forward before she heard the dreaded sound of her name being called.

"Michitaru-san! Hey~!" Kusanagi called to her over and over as Hara tried desperately to ignore him. Suddenly her bag was being pulled on, making Hara turn with her foot up to where she then promptly kicked her attacker in the stomach. Standing on the individual with her foot grinding into their abdomen Hara realized it was the older one of Suoh's friends, she quickly removed her foot and apologized. Kusanagi just laid there with a wide-eyed stare and a pale face while the middle schooler was rolling on the floor dying of laughter. Suoh stood there with a smirk. Hara meant to quickly walk away but stopped when Suoh looked at her directly.

"Nice kick," he said simply. Hara blushed at his appreciative stare before turning and running away. Suoh walked up to where Kusanagi lay and smirked at him. "That's what you get."

"Shut up!" Kusanagi yelled in reply. Sitting up and rubbing his sore stomach, Kusanagi looked up at Suoh with a mischievous grin. "Red." Suoh looked at his friend, confused. "Her panties, they were red." Suoh scoffed and walked away.

Hara sat in class with her face shoved into a book, reading silently to herself when Suoh walked in and sat at his desk.

"Hey," she ignored his greeting choosing to continue focusing on her book, "Hang with us after school, Red." Hara stopped dead.

"What did you say?" she looked at him incredulously as he just smirked at her. He leaned towards her, keeping their talk private.

"Your panties, according to Kusanagi, are red." Hara felt her heart stop in her chest. Blushing furiously she looked back at her book trying desperately to ignore the teen at her side. "I like red." Oh how she could just die right there and then, but he wasn't done with her yet. "If you hang with us, I'll keep the color to myself." She spun on him, seeing the victorious gleam in his eyes.

"Fine, but you don't say a word. You or your friends." she was seething and this boy was just smiling. It infuriated her.

"Deal." He said and faced forward, slouching lazily in his chair with his usual bored look back on his face. Hara couldn't focus for the whole day and when classes were finally done for the day, Suoh sat there with an expectant look on his face. "Volleyball tryouts are in the gym," Hara was confused but followed the boy as he rose from his seat and left the room.

"I thought I was supposed to hang out with you and your friends?"

Suoh grunted, "You are. After tryouts." Hara was sure she was going to have to miss out on them and was surprised by Suoh's consideration. She smiled slightly at his back.

"Thanks," Suoh didn't respond and she continued to follow him into the gym. A table sat to the right with bleachers against the far sidewalls. Groups of students sat clumped here and there as they watched the possible recruits stretch in preparation. Suoh went to the far right and sat next to a waiting Kusanagi who waved at Hara from his seat. She gave him a small nod of acknowledgment and approached the table where three students sat with rosters and clipboards. "Uhm, I'd like to try out," she stated nervously. The middle girl smiled brightly and handed Hara a clipboard with a sign-up sheet and a pen.

"Go ahead and fill out this sheet," she pointed at the roster and instructed, "we'll call when we're ready for you. Change into your gym clothes while you wait, please." Hara quickly filled out the form before running back towards Suoh and Kusanagi.

"Watch my stuff. I'm gonna change and be right back." The boys nodded at her in understanding. The other girl students began to notice the two boys as she ran from them towards the locker rooms.

While changing, Hara found herself cornered by three upperclassman girls.

"Michitaru, right?" One blonde asked her, curiously. Hara nodded, on edge. The girl suddenly beamed at her, "You hang out with Kusanagi-senpai? Since when?" Hara sighed and smiled, a small smile. The other girls beamed right back at her.

"Actually, not yet. I'm supposed to start today after tryouts." The girls groaned and whined. Hara chuckled at them. "Did you hope I could introduce you?" They all sighed and the blonde nodded.

"We hoped, but if you're just barely getting to know him, then that's not likely." Hara thought for a moment, then she got an idea.

"Actually, it might still be possible. I'm going back to where they are to get my bag. You can come with." The girls squealed in excitement at her.

"Oh, by the way, I'm Takumi Shinori," said the blonde. "This is Kagihara Aoi," she said, pointing to a brunette to her left, "and Sengoku Mirai," she pointed to the final girl to her right. "It's nice to meet you." Hara smiled warmly at the trio and bowed slightly at the waist.

"Michitaru Hara, it is very nice to meet you as well." The girls all giggled together before walking from the locker rooms and to the pair of boys. On their way, Sengoku leaned to Hara's ear and whispered.

"You know, I always thought Suoh was handsome. I just haven't had the guts to approach him." Hara nodded in understanding at the older girl receiving a smile in return. The boys looked at them curiously as the four girls stopped before them.

"Thanks, guys," Hara reached for her bag, but Suoh grabbed the shoulder strap.

"They'll call you soon. Just leave the bag until you're done." Kusanagi agreed with the redhead beside him.

"Are you sure? We're all trying out together." Hara replied, referencing the three upperclassmen beside her. "They can watch my bag for me." Kusanagi shook his head.

"They can just sit with us, that way you're not having to carry this heavy thing around everywhere," Kusanagi said, giving the girls a flirtatious smile. Takumi and Kagihara almost fainted at the sight while Hara and Sengoku just shared a bland expression with one another. Suoh snorted at his friend's antics.

"Go ahead," the redhead said looking Hara dead in the eye, "Don't worry about your bag." Hara nodded as Sengoku looked between the pair. Kusanagi had decided he was more interested in Takumi and Kagihara and was talking to them, well, more like flirting. Hara and Takumi were then called by the coach to begin their tryout. Running over, the two girls exchanged a high five before taking their places on the court.

"Ready! Start!" The coach blew his whistle and the ball flew straight towards Takumi. Immediately the girl bounced the ball up to Hara and she jumped for it. A solid hit from the girl had it sailing over the net and to the opposing side of the court. A girl on the opposing side caught the ball and sent it flying back over to Hara's side. Takumi dove, barely making the touch to send the ball popping back to being airborne. Hara jumped to it and sent it flying again to the opposite side. This time she made the score. Takumi and several other girls on the side jumped up and screamed in excitement and cheers.

"Again!" Coach called out. A tall black-haired girl opposite Hara popped the ball before serving it over the net to Hara. She popped it up and let Takumi strike it over the net only for it to return by the same girl sending the ball careening straight for Hara's face. She didn't flinch and immediately blocked and sent the ball back over the net. The same girl was waiting again and spiked it straight at Hara's feet. With no time to stop the ball, Hara gave the opposing team the point.

"You can do it, Michitaru-san!" Hara turned towards the voices. Kusanagi was yelling at her to do her best and Suoh sat there watching her intently. Her other two female companions looked nervous, but Hara felt revitalized. Popping up the ball again, Hara served to Takumi who popped it over the net making the opposing girls dive for it. It popped back to Hara who jumped straight up and spiked the ball as hard as she could, earning another point as the ball made a satisfying bang on the wooden floors. Cheers erupted again, this time with more joining in from the bleachers. Hara was elated and the game went on for another 20 minutes before the coach called a stop.

"Good job girls. New team rosters will be posted on Monday. Enjoy your weekend!" Hara and Takumi exchanged another high five and joined the boys. Kagihara and Sengoku joined from their own mock games a few minutes later.

"Michitaru-san, you're amazing!" Sengoku told her enthusiastically. Hara felt her heart swell with pride.

"Thanks, I played at my old school too." The trio of upperclassmen immediately began asking her questions about her old school and Hara answered them enthusiastically. How strange it was to her, to be surrounded by strange girls and expecting a fight to being friends. She smiled warmly at the group when Suoh stood up, Kusanagi following suit. "Oh, right," she said and stood with the boys. "We're gonna head out now. I'll see you guys on Monday." The girls replied kindly and they parted ways. Walking down the street to the park the boys normally hung out at, Kusanagi approached Hara.

"You really are good, I was surprised," Hara nodded at him as Suoh agreed with his friend. "How long have you been playing for?"

Hara shrugged, "I started in middle school. One of my friends convinced me to join the team with her."

"Nice of your friend," Suoh said quietly from behind them, looking at Hara's legs as she walked. She didn't notice and only shrugged again.

"I guess so. It really helped with venting out my anger." Suoh looked surprised. They entered the park where the younger of the three boys sat on a bench looking bored.

"Kusanagi! King!" He yelled out hopping from the bench. "Where have you been, I was so lonely!" Kusanagi just shook his head.

"Why are you even waiting for us, you stupid brat? How many times do I gotta tell you to stop hanging around?" The young boy whined at the elder. Finally, noticing Hara standing there, the middle schooler openly stared at her with his mouth slightly open. "Oh, finally noticed her then? This is Michitaru Hara-san, Mikoto's classmate and the school's new beauty." Hara blushed at being called a beauty and turned her head away in mock defiance. Mikoto smirked at her reaction while the boy continued to stare at her.

"What?!" She snapped at him knocking him from whatever daydream he was stuck in. He threw up his hands in defense and the older boys laughed.

"Sorry, you're very pretty but…" He trailed off no longer making eye contact. Hara was confused and made a disgusted look at the kid, "Whatever, just stop staring."

Kusanagi tapped her on the shoulder, "This kid here is Totsuka Tatara. We've been trying to run him off for weeks, but he just won't go. Might as well get used to him since you're hanging with us now." Hara blinked, momentarily stunned.

"Uhm, no." She said flatly. "The only reason I'm here is that your angry little friend here blackmailed me with your pervertedness." Kusanagi spluttered at her. Mikoto raised a brow at being called both angry and little, for which he felt he was neither. Totsuka laughed halfheartedly.

"I am not a pervert!" Kusanagi bellowed in defiance, making a few passing people stop and stare at him. He blushed a deep red and began to fidget. "It's not my fault you attacked me and I got the full view." He raised his hands up in a shrug, smiling, "Though I do wonder who you're wearing such things for." Hara had enough and swung her bag at him hitting him square in the face. He fell back landing on his rear end, rubbing his face with a pained 'ow'.

"You're a real piece of work, you know that?" Kusanagi looked up at her angry face and froze. Her hard brown eyes had streaks of bright gold as the sunset reflected in her gaze. "Coming here was clearly a bad idea. I'm going home." Suoh and Totsuka watched in amazement as she turned on her heel and marched away from them.

Realizing Hara was serious about leaving them, Totsuka tried to salvage the situation, "W-wait! Kusanagi-san was just joking." the middle schooler persistently pestered Hara, following her all the way home. She noticed her mother still wasn't back from work and sighed in relief. The last thing she wanted was to explain to her mother about the noisy boy trailing behind her.

"Hey," Suoh said, a few paces behind them. "Kusanagi can be an ass, just ignore him." Hara spun on him, getting in his face she seethed at him.

"I really don't care, leave me alone! I want nothing to do with you or your shitty friends!" Suoh looked stunned, staring at her with wide eyes and his straw hanging haphazardly from his mouth.

Totsuka tried to laugh to lighten the mood, "It's okay, it's okay. It'll all work out."

The boy was ignored though as Hara and Suoh continued to stare at each other, one in anger and the other in shock.

Suoh sighed and took a step back, "Sorry."

Hara stared at him while he just turned around and began to walk away, "Totsuka, let's go."

She watched them silently leave, feeling a tightening in her chest. She thought she was maybe going to make friends. Instead, she was assaulting one and chasing off the others. She felt horrible, but her stubbornness refused to let her apologize. Caving to her temperament, she went up the stairs and into her small apartment. Her mom would be home soon. Maybe she could ask her for advice. Until then, she had to prepare dinner.

**A/N: **Well, that's it for this chapter. Hope you guys enjoy and look forward to the next one. Please don't forget to review, follow, favorite, and follow me on Twitter for important news, updates, and my ramblings. See ya next time!

**Shoutouts!**

**WildDev13: **Thanks so much for the follow. Hope to read a review in the future and maybe get a favorite! 3


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Hara felt nervous. She didn't get to speak to her mother at any time the whole weekend, but she still felt she had to make amends with the boys. It wasn't the first time her temper had made keeping relationships difficult. She sighed, steeling herself as she made her way into the classroom only Suoh was nowhere to be found. Sighing in relief, Hara took her seat but Suoh didn't show up to school the whole day. After class, Hara went and found the volleyball team roster and saw she'd made the team. Their practice would start next week. But when Hara went to tell someone the exciting news, no one was around.

After leaving school, Hara walked along in the fashion district. With nothing to do and nowhere to go, she window-shopped when a bright red streak caught in the corner of her vision. Turning rapidly she saw it was Suoh and Kusanagi running from three tall men dressed in baggy street clothes. She could tell even from her distance across the street that the older men were armed. Immediately on the defensive, she followed the group as they ran through the city. At a local park, the boys cut through the side with the trio hot on their heels. Hara cut through the middle with the intention of cutting off the group from the front. At a crossroads, Hara hid behind a wall and waited with her heavy gym bag at the ready. When the boys ran by, they almost stopped in shock but kept going at her hard gaze.

Just then, the two armed men were about to pass when Hara swung out her bag hitting them in the chest with the heavy object knocking them onto their backs. The third in their group stopped dead as Hara tried to lift her bag only for Mikoto to reach past her and grab it for her. Throwing it over his shoulder, he grabbed the young girl's hand and pulled her with him into a run. Dodging through crowds Hara recognized the street signs and pulled back on Mikoto's hand.

"This way," she said tugging on him again. He followed her and they made their way to her apartment. Slamming the key in and unlocking the door, she grabbed Suoh's hand again and yanked him inside her house. Once the door was firmly shut and locked behind her she turned to him seeing him doubled over, trying to catch his breath. He was sweating and dirty, and his knuckled were torn and bleeding. He looked like he'd gotten into a bad scuffle with that trio from before. "Anyway to get a hold of Kusanagi?" Suoh shook his head and stood up straight.

"No, but don't worry. He'll be fine." Suoh looked around, noticing the tiny apartment had almost nothing in it. "This your place?" Hara nodded, kicking off her shoes she motioned Suoh to do the same.

"Yeah, it's just me and my mom. Was this whole thing the reason you weren't in school today?" She said waving a hand at his form. She noticed he wasn't in his uniform. His regular street clothes looked good on him. His plain white t-shirt fit well, showing his bulging arm muscles and tight chest and his jeans fit snug, but not suffocatingly so. She hadn't noticed how in shape he was until now. He kicked off his shoes as she went to the fridge and pulled out two water bottles. Suoh drank all of his before she could even open hers, so she gave him the one in her hand and grabbed another for herself. Sitting on the floor of her living room, Hara looked over Suoh's wounds and patched up his bruises and scrapes. "So, you wanna tell me what that was all about?"

Suoh sighed, "Just something stupid." She gave him a hard look, demanding an explanation. Looking down in defeat, he recalled the story to her. "Last night, I got into a fight with some drug runners so they got a few more of their guys together while Kusanagi and I were hanging out at the strip mall and started chasing us." Hara's eyes widened in surprise. They'd been running around like this all night and all day? Had they rested at all?

"Why did you think it was a good idea to start a fight with that kind of people?" Suoh shrugged.

"They were trying to rope in some kids." He sighed heavily and rubbed at his face with his hands. Looking him over again, she noticed the bags under his eyes and his shoulders were slumped more than normal. He was exhausted.

"Alright, I'll let you stay here tonight. My mom is working a graveyard shift so she won't be home until tomorrow afternoon. I'll pull out a futon for you to sleep on. And no arguments," she caught him off before he could interject. "And find a way to contact Kusanagi so he knows you're alright." Suoh nodded and asked to use the washroom so she showed him where it was. After he left the room, she grabbed an apron and began rifling through the fridge. She would make them both a meal, something heavy to help relieve her stress and hopefully put the young man to sleep. Grabbing some steaks, she set to work.

Suoh didn't know how long he stood there for. She looked so happy in her own little world. He'd used the house phone to dial Kusanagi at his uncle's bar and was able to tell him what happened. Kusanagi was relieved and insisted he stay with his classmate for the night. Watching her now, he felt glad he agreed. She was standing at the stove cooking something that smelled divine and singing softly to herself. She had a good voice, a little rough at the high notes but good nonetheless. She looked cute in her little blue apron too. He noticed with a bit of amusement it said 'kiss the cook' on the front of it.

"Yo," she said, noticing him finally. "Hungry?" His stomach decided now would be a good time to grumble. Giggling at his noisy abdomen, she pulled out two plates and began to serve them both. "Here," she said handing him his plate. She had made a heavenly smelling steak with rice and fresh vegetables smothered in butter. It was simple, but it looked delicious. Mumbling a thank you, he took his plate to the table where she joined him. "Unfortunately, we're low on groceries right now so this is all I can make. Maybe when I'm able to make a proper meal I'll invite you over again." Suoh just shrugged and took a bite of his food, then wolfed it down. Putting the plate down he looked at the young woman before him and gave her a crooked smile, "That was good, I wonder what a 'proper meal' is gonna taste like." Hara blushed and ate slowly.

"I'll wash my plate." Hara went to protest, but he was already up and going to the sink. She ate quickly to join him, but he was done with the washing and had put away the leftovers before she could finish. Putting away her own clean plate, she saw him sitting on the floor with his back to the wall looking down at his hands and deep in thought. She went to the hall then and grabbed a spare futon and blankets and dragged them into the living room.

"Here," she said laying out the futon and blankets. He looked at her curiously under his lashes, "I'm sorry." Hara was confused and brushed him off.

"No need to apologize. At least you started all this trouble for a good reason." He shook his head at her.

"Today, but also before." It dawned on her then. The situation with her panties.

"I'm sorry too. I was mad at Kusanagi and took it out on you. It was immature of me." She was afraid to look at him, but when he chuckled at her she did so instinctively. And that was where her eyes stayed. His amber orbs pierced right through her stopping her heart and her breath.

"Don't be. We know the kind of people we are." Hara looked at him flabbergasted.

"And what kind of people are you?" They hadn't broken eye contact but at that moment he looked back down at his hands.

"The kind that go nowhere." Hara gasped at him.

"Suoh Mikoto, don't say that. That is not true." He was surprised by her earnest reply and looked back up with a cocky grin.

"Then what kind do you think I am?" She blushed but refused to look away.

"The considerate kind. Someone who was going nowhere, would not have gotten my bag or grabbed my hand the way you did. You're a good person with a lot of potentials." Suoh was shocked, to say the least. This girl had only known him for a short time but she was saying things that no one had before. He smiled, grateful by her remark. She had no idea how much those words meant to him. She moved to his side and kneeled next to him. Taking his hand in hers she pointed to his knuckles. "Not just anyone would do this for a stranger." He clasped her fingers and inclined his head.

"You're gonna get yourself killed being around me." Suoh gave a heartless chuckle making the girl pout at him. "I appreciate it."

"Y-you're welcome." Hara stuttered, trying to pry herself away from him, but Suoh looked into her eyes again. In the low light, he saw dark shades of green and deep brown in the various ridges. She tried to pull away but he held fast, staring her down. Suddenly releasing her, he grumbled about how he was tired and crawled to the made futon. Not even bothering to cover himself, he fell right asleep. Hara held her hand to her chest and got up from her kneeling position. She looked back at the red-haired boy one last time before turning off the lights to return to her room. There she could feel her heart pounding, ready to jump out of her chest and gathered her things for a shower.

Suoh wasn't asleep. He couldn't sleep. He laid there momentarily listening to Hara's gentle footsteps around the apartment. After some time passed, silence fell. Hara probably had finally crawled into bed, he thought. He thought back to the earlier conversation with Hara. He had no idea what to make of her words. What did she see in him to say such things? He felt undeserving. Enough people had told him to know it was true. So why was she different? He rolled onto his back, lifting his hand up to his view. Looking at the carefully bandaged knuckles, he remembered her holding his hand. It had felt soft and warm, not like his rough, calloused palms. He felt warmth in his chest, but he couldn't place what it was. He threw his head back roughly against his pillow and his arm against the futon. He needed to get over it, he told himself. She wasn't going to linger around for long and he wasn't going to hold her back. He refused.

Hara lay awake, staring at her ceiling. She could hear Suoh moving around but she wasn't sure why he was. Getting up and tiptoeing to her door she peeked out and saw him tossing and turning. Eventually, he sat up with a huff. Thinking he might be hot, she reached for the thermostat beside her door beginning turn on the air conditioner when a hand grabbed her own.

"What are you doing?" Suoh asked gruffly. Hara was surprised, not having heard him approach, "I thought you were hot so I wanted to turn on the cool air. Is it too warm?"

Suoh sighed and shook his head, "Just not tired." She made an o with her mouth and stepped away. "Did I bother you?" Suoh asked.

Hara shook her head, feeling like a child, "No! I'm not tired either. This evening has been a bit too eventful for me." Suoh snorted at her softly. Hara went on, "My mother tells me that if you lay there with your eyes closed you'll feel more rested even if you don't sleep because it keeps your body relaxed." Suoh watched her ramble on with a smile.

"Alright, I'll try it. Goodnight," Suoh said. Hara mumbled a goodnight and Suoh made his way back to the futon. This was bad, he was bad for her. He needed to keep his distance.

The following morning, Suoh woke up and felt refreshed. While listening to Hara ramble on about how she made the volleyball team, he shoved on his shoes. He had to go back to his house to grab his school uniform, so the duo woke up earlier than usual. Hara was going with him and Suoh didn't want her to be late. Grabbing her bag for her, they made their way across town. At Suoh's house, he led the girl inside where an old man with a stern face sat at the breakfast table with a cup of hot coffee and the morning paper. He looked up from his morning paper and watched as Suoh left Hara at the door and ran up the stairs to his room.

The man huffed at the young girl, "Hmph, at least he's been out with a girl this time." Hara blushed at the grumbled statement, but not wanting to get Suoh in trouble she didn't say anything. "So what's your name, young lady?" The old man asked. Hara jumped at the sudden question. Turning she bowed to the older gentleman.

"My name is Michitaru Hara, sir." Standing straight she looked at him to see him smiling kindly.

"And how do you know my wayward grandson?"

Hara covered her mouth and giggled, "We are fellow delinquents, sir." The old man chortled at her. Hara continued, "We're classmates. I sit next to Suoh-san and he helped me get on the volleyball team." The man looked surprised.

"Really now? That's news to me. Are you his girlfriend?" Hara gasped and shook her head vigorously. An angry blush danced across her cheeks. "I see," he said leaning back in his seat and taking a sip of his coffee. Suoh finally came down the stairs, giving Hara a sigh of relief. "Mikoto," the redhead stopped and looked at his grandfather. "I like her, be good to her." He gave Suoh a knowing look and went back to reading his paper with a grin. Suoh grabbed Hara's hand and yanked her out of the house without a word. Walking lazily, Suoh watched Hara from the corner of his eye.

"Did he say anything to you?" Hara laughed nervously.

"Uh, yeah. He asked how I knew you and…" She trailed off leaving Suoh guessing. "He called you his 'wayward' grandson." The redhead snorted.

"You can ignore him." Hara began wringing her hands.

"He also asked if I was your girlfriend." Suoh stopped in his tracks. The school gate was only a few feet ahead. He could see a teacher out front giving the last call as the students filed in. Suoh made a disgusted noise aimed at his grandfather, Hara flinched.

"The old man's a fool," Suoh said. Hara looked down, feeling insulted.

They continued on walking into the school and then to class together, not having spoken a word to one another. When they sat down, that was when Hara noticed the whole class staring at her and whispering to one another. Hara pretended to not hear them, but she sat there eavesdropping. What she heard was shocking. Glancing over at Suoh, she knew he heard them too.

"Did you know she just got on the team and already she's seen running around with Suoh?"

"I heard he stayed at her place last night."

"She's that easy, huh?"

"How disgraceful."

"I bet he slept with her."

It was horrifying. Hara could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. She was shaking, her anger mounting and she could feel the redhead's gaze as he discreetly watched her. She felt like she was about to explode. Not even two weeks spent at her new school and they were spreading rumors about her? Oh, she was pissed.

"I hope she gets kicked off the team, I wouldn't want that hussy playing with me."

Oh. Hell. No.

Shooting up from her desk, Hara slammed her fists down on its surface, immediately gaining the attention of everyone in the room. Suoh watched her with wide eyes and a grin.

"If you lot have so much fucking free time," she said in a low growl. "Why don't you spend it looking in the goddamn mirror? You're all nothing but a bunch of worthless pieces of shit and I feel sorry for your parents having to bring you into the world." The room was dead silent until a person at the front of the room cleared their throat. Looking up in horror, Hara saw the homeroom teacher frowning at her. She was so screwed.

"Michitaru-san, please go to the headmaster's office and calm down." Hara clenched her jaw ready to protest but felt the smiles of her classmates. She shoved down her anger, looking every person in the room in the eye. And smiled. A collective chill could be felt as she reached down and grabbed her bag. She left the room with that same jarring smile.

In the headmaster's office, Hara was getting herself a whole new hole opened up as the old man reamed her out for her 'obstructive behavior' and 'crude language'. She almost laughed at how indignant the man was with her outburst.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Hara almost chucked the heavy metal nameplate at his head. She'd done nothing wrong, those malicious bastards were spreading rumors and yet she was the one getting yelled at. "Not even two weeks in and you're already causing trouble. If this is a sign of things to come I'd rather you not embarrass our hardworking athletes. We may have to remove you from the volleyball team. To think you and Suoh would do such a thing." Hara couldn't take it anymore and snapped.

"Suoh and I did nothing! It's a misunderstanding if you knew what really happened-"

"And what really happened, Michitaru-san." The headmaster was giving her this smirk that sent chills down her spine. He knew something and was just waiting for her to reveal what he wanted. She chose to keep her mouth shut and looked down. Suoh would not get dragged down for her actions.

"What really happened," said a voice from the door making Hara spin in her seat. There she saw Suoh's grandfather standing in the open doorway. The staff behind him was bowing low, an extremely respectful gesture for the aging man. "Is I asked her to house my grandson for the night as our home was being worked on. You see, I'd met the young lady by chance the other day and thought she'd be a good influence on my grandson. I'd hoped she'd help him straighten out and this is the result." He sighed and smiled sadly at Hara. She didn't know why he was helping her, but she'd be forever grateful.

"Suoh Kazaki, I hadn't known. My deepest apologies, Senator." The headmaster had risen from his seat and bowed low to the elder gentleman. Hara didn't know how to react, unsure of what to do. Suoh Kazaki walked into the room and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"My grandson messaged me about the rumor uproar that was happening in the school. I didn't want a lovely young lady like you to be stuck with a bad reputation because of Mikoto." He turned a hard gaze to the headmaster. "I expect an investigation into these malicious rumors." The headmaster paled.

"I assure you, sir. We will do everything in our power to find the student or students responsible and punish them accordingly." The senator nodded with a 'good' and waved his hand, beckoning Hara to follow him. Getting up from her chair, she glanced behind her and saw the headmaster was glaring at the elder man's back. Turning her gaze to the elder Suoh beside her, she watched him smile at the students and teachers on their way to her homeroom. He led her inside and she went quietly to her seat.

"Mikoto," he said looking at his grandson with a disappointed look. "I told you not to cause the young lady trouble. What happened?"

Suoh just grunted and shrugged, not responding to the elder. Suoh Kazaki sighed and turned to the teacher to apologize, "I am very sorry for my grandson's actions. It seems my request for the young lady has backfired. I hope you will forgive both him and me?" He bowed low to their homeroom teacher, making her blush.

"Oh, it seems there was a misunderstanding, Senator. My apologies to you." She bowed back deeply. Hara looked around and saw the scared faces of her classmates as they looked around at one another in confusion. Hara felt only a bit satisfied.

"Michitaru-san, I'm afraid my grandson must inconvenience you further this week until our home is done being renovated. I promise to compensate you for the hard work at the end of the week." Hara smiled.

"I really don't need the compensation, sir. I don't mind helping out a classmate." The elder Suoh laughed at her honesty.

"I'll take your word for it," Hara nodded still smiling. "I will take my leave then. My apologies for disturbing your class." Suoh Kazaki bowed again and left the room. When the door closed the class erupted. The teacher had to spend the rest of the homeroom trying to get everyone to calm down. Hara gave herself a little smile in victory.

"Michitaru-sa~n!" Kusanagi waved his arm in greeting as Hara sat on a park bench with Suoh. She waved back and gave a little smile. Totsuka had joined them a short time ago and the trio had been waiting for Kusanagi to join them. When he finally got their semi-circle in the center of the park he huffed at the redhead and Hara. "What happened today? There were a ton of rumors about you two hooking up, then it went quiet. I went around asking about the rumors and no one would talk about it all of a sudden." Hara laughed nervously.

"So, someone saw us either go to my apartment or leave it together and they started spreading rumors that we were sleeping together but Suoh-san's grandfather came down to the school and gave us a cover story and is making the school investigate the rumors." Totsuka was looking between the pair curiously with a confused grin while Kusanagi got progressively paler.

"You mean to tell me, that Mikoto caused you trouble and Gramps got you out of it?" Hara nodded, confused by his reaction. Kusanagi snapped, "Do you not understand what this means?! This is trouble! Trouble!" Suoh made a strange noise, something between and grunt and groan, and rolled his neck.

"I know, Idiot. There's nothing to do about it now." Suoh stood up from the bench and looked down at Hara. "Just keep your distance from the old man, or you'll get caught."

"Caught?" Hara questioned as Suoh began to walk away.

"Let's go." Kusanagi and Totsuka trotted after the redhead, both asking questions about where they were headed to. Hara sat back and leaned her head back against the bench. She was tired of the word games already, but she didn't have much of a choice since she was gonna be stuck with these guys for a while. She thought she may have to simply leave her old life behind and just continue forward. No matter what came her way.

**A/N: **I really really hope you guys are enjoying this. I had touched on Mikoto's grandfather existing in my old work so I'm hoping to expand on his character and to make him have more of influence will give Mikoto less of a mysterious background. I don't actually know if Mikoto had a grandfather or if he was raised by him but I'm letting my imagination take hold for this one. Please don't forget to review, follow, favorite, and follow me on Twitter for important news, updates, and my ramblings. See ya next time!

**Shoutouts!**

**laga2120: **Thank you for follow. Hope to receive some feedback soon. :D


	4. Chapter 3

Spending time with the trio consisting of Suoh, Kusanagi, and Totsuka hadn't been so bad. Once the rumor mill died down, Hara found her life getting increasingly more normal. She started spending lunch with the two older boys, and after school, Totsuka would join them. Hara's mother had started insisting she pack snacks for her friends and herself since they spent so much time out together after school. Eventually, Hara gave in, bringing snacks like cookies she'd baked over the weekend, or cheese and crackers.

Today was the big day. It was Hara's first official volleyball game at her school. Feeling anxious, her nerves were on edge all day and were no different when lunch came around. It has been a while since she got to participate in any school volleyball activities. Her coach had her temporarily benched as a precautionary measure after her classroom debacle. After some time had passed and the commotion finally settled down, the coach reluctantly let Hara resume her volleyball activities. Besides, it helped that the coach recognized Hara's strong physical capabilities and considered her to be one of the more valuable team members along with six other girls.

Hara couldn't eat, her mind was frayed and her stomach was in tight knots just thinking about tonight's game. Suoh notice her frazzled state and looked down at the bento that was on her lap, "You're not eating?" Suoh was hungry too and he couldn't help but to openly stare at the untouched bento.

Kusanagi chastised him, "Mikoto, leave her alone, you can't have her lunch." Suoh pouted.

"You can share with me. I'm too nervous to eat anyways." Hara pushed some of her food into the lid of her bento and handed it to Suoh. He muttered thanks and ate gratefully.

"You know, Michitaru-san, you really shouldn't spoil him or this guy will just keep expecting you to do stuff like this for him all the time," Kusanagi said, pointing at Suoh with his thumb.

Hara just shrugged and tossed a cucumber slice into her mouth and a second at Suoh. Kusanagi threw his hands up in the air, gesturing his defeat and sighed, not knowing how to respond to the girl's nonchalant attitude.

"You know, you're not a bad cook," Suoh commented.

Hara and Kusanagi were shocked by the aforementioned redhead's seemingly random statement. Suoh felt eyes were on him and looked back at the duo with a blank stare. His chopsticks stuck in his mouth as he chewed. "What?"

"Ah, nothing," Kusanagi waved his hands in dismissal before turning back to Hara who was blushing slightly. He stared at her for a moment before leaning back. Draping his arms over the back of the bench, Kusanagi blurted out, "It's a shame really."

His two companions looked at him strangely.

"Kusanagi-san," Hara said, "you're a weirdo."

Kusanagi spluttered at her making her and Suoh laugh at him. "Not true!" Kusanagi yelled in indignation, turning red at the tips of his ears, "Don't make fun of me!" The two younger teens continued to laugh at him.

It was late in the day and the sun began to set. Hara was getting ready to head to the gym to change into her uniform for tonight's game when Suoh tapped her shoulder. She looked over at him to see him leaning on his arm, his elbow resting on the top of his desk. She tilted her head in question.

"What are you doing tonight?" Hara froze. She wasn't sure herself, but the tone of the question sounded like Suoh was asking her out on a date. Her heart immediately went into overdrive as he stared at her in curiosity. "Well?" Hara couldn't speak. She shook her head and held up her jersey for him to see. His eyes widened before he turned away with a sour look, "Ah, I forgot."

Hara shook herself out of her trance and stood quickly, "Sorry, I gotta go. The game starts in a couple hours." She hurried from the room while Suoh gave a quiet 'yeah' from behind.

In the gym locker room, Hara was internally freaking out. She had no idea what to make of the redhead's question but had convinced herself by the time she had dressed in her uniform that he was simply asking for the group. Suoh Mikoto was not asking Michitaru Hara out on a date. It was simply impossible. Not wanting to think about it further, Hara tied up her hair and walked out.

On the court, Hara was relentless and unstoppable. Taking all of her confusion and frustration out on the opposing team helped Hara score seven points for her team and tying the game in the last twenty minutes. She was exhausted and breathing hard, but she wouldn't give up yet. Hara couldn't quite hear over the roaring of the gathered crowd and her own blood rushing through her ears, but she'd just follow the lead of her teammates. Breaking apart from a pep talk delivered by the coach, Hara walked back onto the court and checked the stands for the hundredth time that night. Her mother had never made it.

Hara wasn't too surprised. In her entire high school and middle school career, her mother had made it only to two of her games. She wouldn't let it bother her, but somehow it crept into the back of her mind. Trying to ignore her negative thoughts, Hara focused back on the game as the ball came flying at her face and knocked it to a nearby teammate. Hara sighed internally as the game seemed to slow in her mind, everything moved at a fraction of the speed when she noticed three heads poking over the edge of a nearby window peeking inside at the game.

She couldn't help but smile and faced reality again. Even if her mother couldn't make it, she now had friends that could. Having renewed energy, Hara threw herself into the game supporting her teammates and scoring the games winning point. Grinning to herself, Hara felt a rush as her team and the crowd in the stands exploded into cheers and excited hollering. Suddenly smashed between her teammates in an excited group hug, Hara tried to peek back at the window but the heads were gone.

Hara ran up to the trio with a huge smile on her face. The boys returned her grin with their own and Totsuka embraced her.

"Sorry, Michitaru-san. We couldn't afford the tickets to get in so we had to sneak to the window," Kusanagi said. Hara giggled, shaking her head, and released the young boy.

"It's alright, I saw your heads poking out." She laughed as the boys responded with embarrassment. "It made me really happy that you made an effort to be there. But tell me you want to come next time, the team members get free tickets. There's a limit of five though."

After the big game, Hara had spent the rest of the evening running around downtown with the boys. When it was getting late, Totsuka and Kusanagi said their farewell to what was left of the group. Hara, not wanting her high to run out, decided to continue hanging out with Suoh. Smiling to herself she leaned her head back, feeling the cold night air brush against her cheek. Suoh watched her with something strange in his eyes. Swallowing, she looked from the sky to the boy beside her. His red hair was uncombed and had been mussed by the wind. She smiled at him, making him look away, a pink ting to his cheeks from the cold.

"Did you want to go home?" He asked her as she leaned against the back of the bench they shared. She shook her head, focusing on the stars that could only barely peek out through the city's light pollution. He looked at his feet, focused on his own thoughts. He sat there silently, opening and closing his mouth like he wanted to say something before sighing heavily. Hara tilted her head at him. Suoh finally said, "You should head home, it's getting late. I don't want your mom to chew me out."

Hara snorted at his back, "Don't worry about it, my mom won't be home until tomorrow afternoon."

Suoh continued to concentrate on his feet, "There's someone…"

Hara turned to look at Suoh. He was contemplating something thoroughly.

Hara pushed on his shoulder, "You like someone? Gonna ask her out?" Hara teased Suoh, making the boy grunt at her in disapproval.

"Not that."

"So there is someone? Guy? Girl? Something else? Maybe a chair?" Hara continued to tease.

Suoh snorted at her and smirked, "Girl, but not that."

He leaned back in his seat and looked at the sky with her and continued, "A guy from the class across the hall, wanted me to see if you'd wanna date him."

Hara coughed, "And this dude didn't have the balls to ask me directly? He had to ask you? Am I that scary?"

Suoh chuckled at her, "Apparently so if he wanted me to ask you for him."

Hara laughed lightly. Suoh was seen as intimidating by everyone except their homeroom teacher. For a guy to have approached Suoh rather than Hara herself, the guy must have been a coward. At least when it came to girls.

"Then he's not worth my time," Hara said with a shrug. Turning to Suoh she raised her brows at him and asked, "So, who do you like?" She leaned forward and looked at Suoh with a mischievous gleam in her eye.

She was hoping to get him flustered or even a little embarrassed. The stoic boy was so hard to tease most of the time. Maybe she could get a rise out of him this time around. Apparently, he had other plans.

Suoh looked Hara in the eye with a bored expression, "You." was his blunt reply.

Hara froze, her brown eyes meeting his golden. He gave her a lazy smirk and she could have sworn her heart stopped. Everything around her slowed, the quiet park became deathly silent, and Hara's breathing became difficult.

"Just kidding."

And like that the spell was broken. Suoh chuckled at her reaction, but she was hurt. She hadn't expected that reaction even from herself. Tears pricking at her eyes, she stood up and looked away.

"I'm gonna head out." Her voice cracked as she held back tears. It was just a joke and she didn't even like him that way so why was she so bothered by it?

"What's wrong?" Hara shook her head, unable to look at the boy in the eye without bursting into tears.

"Nothing, I'm gonna head out." Suoh reached out and grabbed her hand before she could take off.

"I wasn't trying to be mean." Hara just kept shaking her head trying her hardest to hold back tears. "Sorry." He continued to hold her hand, not wanting her to feel badly. Getting up, he led her from the park to a nearby ice cream and bought her a small cone.

"Here, sorry," Suoh apologized for the second time. Hara took the ice cream gratefully and nodded at the boy.

"It's not that. I think it's just been a crazy night and my emotions are all over the place. I think I'm just overreacting." Suoh didn't accept her response but he kept quiet.

"I'll walk you home," Suoh told Hara. Hara rescinded and quietly followed him through the city streets, her head down and concentrating deeply on her ice cream. She peeked at the boy walking in front of her and blushed so bright she hid her face in her jacket collar. She didn't want him to see her like this. But what was like this exactly? She shook her head trying to clear her thoughts when she noticed Suoh watching her from the corner of his eye.

"Sorry, brain freeze." He snorted a laugh at her.

"Eat slowly then."

Hara laughed nervously. Spotting her apartment nearby, Hara had to make a decision and quickly. She could give Suoh a hasty goodnight and not have to see him again until Monday, it is the weekend and all, or invite him in for something to drink before sending him on his way. She felt the first option seemed rude and would send him a bad message, but inviting him inside could make things even more awkward. Hara was so deep in her thought she didn't notice that Suoh had stopped at the foot of her apartment stairs until she bumped into his back.

"Oh, sorry." Hara rubbed her forehead still avoiding eye contact.

Suoh stared at her. "You okay?"

Hara nodded without looking up and began to climb the stairs. Suoh reached for her hand again, stopping her mid-step, "You're lying. What's wrong?" She yanked her hand away then immediately regret it. Suoh stepped back mumbling an apology and made to leave, but Hara grabbed his sleeve.

"I'm sorry. My head is somewhere else right now. I didn't mean anything by it," she didn't know why she wanted him to leave, she didn't know why she wanted him to stay, and she didn't know why her heart hurt as much as it did at the idea of him walking away from her.

"Come inside." The words were out of her mouth before she could process what she was going to say.

Suoh's back went stiff, his eyes going wide at the implication behind her words.

Hara quickly amended, "For something warm to drink. It's cold out, you should have something warm before you go home," She was rambling, but she didn't want him to misunderstand.

"Ah, right. Sure." Suoh was confused but followed the black-haired girl inside.

Sitting on the floor he watched as she set to task making a pot of tea, still refusing to look at him. He was struggling to keep from shaking the poor girl for answers. He was too oblivious to understand why she was acting so strange and he was getting frustrated. When it was ready she walked slowly, balancing the tea set on a small tray before placing it down on the low table sat neatly in the center of the living room floor.

"Here," she said, pouring his tea then handing him the cup, "Careful,"

Suoh gently took the tea from her only to put it down and stare at her. She continued to dodge his eyes, looking anywhere that wasn't his face. At least she wasn't on the verge of tears anymore.

"What's wrong?" Suoh asked again.

Hara sat back, leaning on her palms as they rested on the ground behind her, "It's nothing."

Suoh was getting frustrated. If she said nothing one more time, he was sure he was going to explode.

"Tell me," he demanded.

"There's nothing wrong." That was it, he snapped.

Grabbing the girl by her shoulders and giving her a hard single shake he then brought her to face him. They were now nose to nose and she looked like a deer in headlights. Suoh was annoyed beyond reason and failed to notice how red her face was.

"Tell me. Now." He was firm with her but refused to yell. Hara averted her eyes and Suoh growled at her.

"I don't know. I'm still trying to figure it out." She hung her head as Suoh sighed. He let his temper get the better of him and now she was scared of him. "You're hurting me." He let go over her shoulders allowing her to slump back to her knees. Pinching the bridge of his nose he took a deep breath, "Sorry. I'm gonna go."

Hara looked as though struck as Suoh rose from the table and gathered his shoes. She kept acting as though she was going to say something then stopped.

"Okay. I'll see you later." She watched him as he grabbed his things and headed for the door. He opened the door and stopped, his back to her. He spoke a single word before leaving.

"No."

**Shoutouts!**

**Anasai: **Thanks for the follow and favorite!

**Reiz (Guest): **Thank you for your comment. I'm glad you found his entrance to be a good idea. I hope to hear more from you in the future. :D


	5. Chapter 4

Shit, shit, shit. He'd messed up, badly. Why did he say that? Suoh Mikoto racked his brain for answers but came up with nothing. Staring at the lit screen of his phone, Suoh was debating to call Hara and apologize, but would it even matter? Was the damage he caused beyond repair? The moment those words came out from his mouth, he saw from the corner of his eye her pain and knew instantly that he had royally messed up. Suoh kept walking, contemplating what the hell he was going to do. There seemed to be no way to fix this, not yet. He had to talk to Kusanagi.

Suoh practically kicked in the door to the bar, finding Kusanagi's uncle behind the counter. Suoh looked him over and the older blonde only shrugged, "He's upstairs."

Suoh darted up the short flight of stairs and banged on Kusanagi's door. His friend, waking up to the sound of the bangs, groggily opened the door to find Suoh standing there looking angry. Suoh shoved his way into Kusanagi's room and sat heavily on the edge of his bed. Kusanagi, confused, closed the door behind him, then slowly approached his younger friend.

"Mikoto? What happened? I thought you were with Michitaru-san?"

Suoh groaned loudly and place his face in his hands and bending over his knees.

"I fucked up," Suoh whispered through his teeth.

Kusanagi's concern was obvious as he sat at the head of the bed. He put his feet up and leaned his head back against the wall. "Tell me what happened," he said.

Suoh sighed heavily and scrubbed at his eyes before lifting his head and peering tiredly at his friend, "I made a stupid joke," Suoh said staring at the wall almost in a daze, "It made her cry and then when she tried to make it okay I ruined it."

Kusanagi shifted his weight to his right side. Staring at Suoh from across the bed he asked, "A joke? Like 'haha you're not pretty' or…?" He trailed off waiting for Suoh to finish the thought and fill in the blanks.

"She was teasing me and asked if I liked anyone."

Kusanagi was stiff and quiet as Suoh laid back on the bed an arm over his eyes.

"Oh, Mikoto," Kusanagi said in disbelief. "What did you do?"

"I said I liked her. She freaked so I said it was a joke and then she cried."

Kusanagi snapped, "Well, no shit, Moron! You don't tell a girl that you like her and then take it back! Are you daft?!" Kusanagi reached over and smacked Suoh over the head at the end of his tirade. Sitting back, Kusanagi pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "Then how did you ruin it? As if that wasn't enough."

Suoh rubbed his head and winced. There was going to be a bump there in the morning. "I took her home and she gave me tea. I kept asking her what was wrong 'cause she was being weird. She wouldn't tell me so I grabbed her," He paused, "then she said I was hurting her so I left. She said she'd see me later."

Cautiously, Suoh looked at his friend, "I told her no."

Kusanagi could practically hear the heartbreak the poor girl suffered at that single word. Kusanagi couldn't bring himself to react. This whole situation was definitely out of his environment. He shook his head and stood from his place on the bed. Suoh sat up, looking up into his elder friend's face.

"Well, I have no idea how to help you."

Suoh groaned quite possibly for the hundredth time tonight and ran his fingers through his hair tugging on the red locks. "So I'm screwed?" Suoh said, closing his eyes.

"I think so," Kusanagi replied solemnly.

Suoh Mikoto laid back on the bed, looking at the ceiling. He felt terrible. Maybe he should just apologize? Was that enough? They were barely friends, he had no right to joke with her in that way. Tomorrow, he told himself. He would go and apologize to her tomorrow. It should go well, right? He closed his eyes as Kusanagi crawled under the blankets and kicked Suoh lightly in his side.

"Get the futon out," the blonde chided him. "You can sleep here tonight."

Suoh did as instructed and slept fitfully.

Hara had gone to sleep crying that night and feeling as though she had done something wrong. All morning she had been moving about in a daze. There was no school so she headed out to the mall, wandering aimlessly. A small group of teen boys spotted her sitting alone at a table snacking on a crepe and approached her.

"Hey," one called out to her. He was a tall boy, around 175 centimeters, and had reddish blonde hair, a lightly tanned complexion, and thick glasses. "You're Michitaru-san from class 1-C, right? I saw you play last night. You were great!" He seemed excited to meet her so she relaxed a bit.

"Yeah, nice to meet you."

The boy approached her table and bowed slightly at the waist, his arms straight at his side. "Do you mind if I join you?"

She gave a half-hearted shrug and he took it as an invitation, clasping the top of a chair and pulling it out. He slid into the seat easily and scooted closer to the table. He waved off his friends, a few giving him a thumbs up or a wink as they left. Hara immediately knew why he had approached her.

"Were you the one who asked Suoh to talk to me?"

The boy immediately blushed and averted his gaze from her.

"Ah, yeah," he paused and poked his glasses up with his pointer finger, adjusting them. "I was really nervous to talk to you, but I liked you immediately. He kind of shrugged me off so I assumed he didn't say anything." He looked down at the table, drawing circles on the table with his fingers.

His fidgeting was irritating her.

"I thought you and Suoh were an item."

Hara nearly choked on her own spit. The memories from the night before invading her mind at the mention of the young redhead. She leaned back in her chair as the boy leaned forward.

"Judging by your reaction, I guess I was wrong?"

She snorted at him, "You have no idea."

He smiled at her in a dazzlingly way. "Does that mean I might have a chance?"

Hara almost laughed but when she looked at him, he was clearly earnest. She looked to the ceiling and took a deep breath, a smile tugging at her lips as she saw him beginning to grin from the corner of her eye. She stood up shaking her head unable to help the tight smile at her lips as she fought the urge to grin right back at him. Her blush felt like her face was on fire as the boy's attention refused to leave her.

"I'll think about it." She said and quickly left the table, using her hair to hide the grin that spread across her lips.

Once she knew she was out of sight, she broke into a run and a full grin spread across her face. It was the first time someone had confessed. It sent her heart careening through her chest and her mind went blank. It was so different from that time with Suoh, she was excited by the boy's confession. She was so stunned and embarrassed and excited, she had forgotten to ask for his name. She had no idea what his name was! She stopped then and looked to the sky as humiliation made her face flush anew. How could she have forgotten? She was so excited at the fact that someone actually liked her that she'd forgotten to ask for his name? She closed her eyes and shook her head when someone called her name, a very deep male voice.

Looking over she saw a head of salt and pepper hair pop up between a small group of people. A hand was raised above it in greeting and Hara finally recognized this person calling and waving to her as he finally weaved his way through the crowd.

"Michitaru Hara-san!" Suoh Kazaki greeted her with a bright smile.

Suoh Mikoto had gone to Hara's house first thing in the morning but she was already gone. He'd asked her mother where she'd gone off to but hadn't been able to find her anywhere at the mall. He'd searched all day and was at the end of his rope. Deciding to just go home and rest and hopefully see her at school instead he made his way home. He was surprised to see the lights on so early in the evening, it must mean his grandfather decided to come back early. Not wanting to cause a ruckus with the old man, Suoh Mikoto decided to take the sade way to avoid the front entrance where he was sure the old man was entertaining a guest.

Suoh Mikoto was slowly trudging up the stairs when a girly laugh reached his ears. He paused curious about the female 'friend' his grandfather had suddenly brought over. He guessed the old man still had some game about him even in his old age, but he kept listening. The laugh sounded familiar.

Another girly laugh could be heard then, "he really did that?"

A confirmed yes from his grandfather but Suoh was already down the steps and coming through the back kitchen entrance when he saw her. Michitaru Hara sat at his dining table, having dinner with his grandfather and laughing at the old man's stories. Mikoto walked through the open archway and glared at his grandfather from Hara's left side. The laughter died and a heavy awkward silence filled the room.

"Ah, Mikoto? When did you get home?" His grandfather smiled warmly regardless of the teen's deep-set scowl.

Hara sipped at her water trying not to look at the silent fight between the two.

"Just now. Hara," he looked at her and she swallowed nervously, he'd hadn't called her by her name before. "Come with me."

"No need for that," his grandfather interjected. Suoh Kazaki leaned back in his seat, interlacing his fingers he rested his hands on his lap and looked between the pair. "Just join us for dinner. I doubt you've eaten anything all day." The elder Suoh waved his hand a maid appeared and set a place for Mikoto next to Hara.

Reluctantly, Mikoto sat still keeping his eyes on his grandfather. The trio ate quietly for a few minutes until Mikoto's grandfather spoke up again.

"So, Hara-san, I heard you did fantastically at last night's game. I'm sure your mother was amazed by such a spectacle."

Hara swallowed thickly.

"Uh, no. She had to work and couldn't make it."

Suoh Kazaki raised his brows at this and frowned.

"And your father?"

Hara blushed, not wanting to discuss the taboo subject but it would be rude to not answer at the same time. Mikoto looked at her curiously and took a drink of his water.

"I don't know him that well. He left when I was young." Hara fidgeted with her silverware unsure if she should look up.

It was not often that Suoh Kazaki was surprised, but he was taken aback by such a thing. No respectable man would just abandon his family and with a young child to take care of as well. He looked at his grandson seeing shock mirrored back at him.

"I see, that's too bad. My son and his wife, Mikoto's parents, have been passed for some years. A car accident took them, unfortunately, and I have been raising him since."

Hara looked between the two, bafflement overcoming her features. The elder suoh just smiled sadly while Mikoto glared down at his plate silently. He hadn't said anything all dinner when he pushed away his plate and stood up.

"That's enough. It's depressing." Reaching down, Mikoto took Hara's hand and yanked her from her seat before setting off deeper into the house. "My room is upstairs."

Hara tugged on her hand, wanting Mikoto to let her go but the redhead refused to let go.

"Suoh-sa-"

"Mikoto," he cut her off. "You can call me like that."

Hara blushed, not knowing how to respond she nodded her head. "Mikoto, you can let go. I'll go home if that's what you want. I just ran into your grandfather at the mall and he invited me over for tea and dinner. I didn't mean to upset you."

"You didn't," he didn't look at her, but she could see his shoulders start to relax as they got further from his grandfather and eventually, he let go.

At his bedroom door, he paused and looked at his feet. "Sorry, it's a mess," he said and opened the door.

Inside, Hara was surprised to see just how bad it was. She stopped dead and felt her jaw hit the floor. Mikoto's ears turned bright pink as the girl just stared at the mess. Piles of papers with random scribbles and drawing littered the floor, a guitar sat randomly in the middle of the floor, and clothes, so many clothes, littered the floor and furniture. He'd forgotten Totsuka and Kusanagi has been over a few days prior and never bothered to clean up the mess.

"Are you… writing music?" Hara asked curiously.

Mikoto shook his head and walked into the room kicking the papers off to the side or under the bed and shoving the clothes into random drawers. After shoving whatever he could immediately out of sight he sat on the floor before a low table.

"Totsuka did it. I forgot to clean."

Hara followed his lead and sat across from him, picking at the fabric of her jeans.

"I'm sorry," Mikoto said quietly. "I didn't mean it, yesterday."

Hara shook her head at him with a little smile, "don't apologize. I've never been confessed to before so I wasn't sure how to react and then for it to be just a joke. It messed me up for a bit. I overreacted and I shouldn't have. I'm sorry too."

Mikoto gave her a lazy smile.

"You should stay away from the old man. He likes to scheme."

Hara was surprised by the sudden change of topic and saw his smile changed to another scowl.

"You know if you keep frowning like that you're gonna get wrinkles while you're still young."

Mikoto looked away from her but at least his scowl wasn't so severe now.

"I know it goes without saying since you started to already, but you can call me Hara."

Mikoto smiled at her again and nodded.

"Yeah." He said in a whisper.

**A/N: **I am sorry that I didn't post last Friday, but for those who don't follow my twitter, I had to work a closing shift at work and didn't get off until 1AM. This was supposed to be longer but I wanted to make sure I posted something tonight. I can always update this chapter again later. Anyways, hope you all like it. Please don't forget to review, follow, favorite, and follow me on Twitter! All the links to my social media can be found on my Twitter which can be found on my profile page.

**Shoutouts!**

**lette2147 & wolfvane14744 & Kikikitsune18: **Thank you three for the follow and favorite!

**Haruki Tatsugami: **It's always great hearing from old fans. :) My writing style has greatly improved since high school so I'm trying to improve on things that had been good already but could have been better. I hope to hear more from you in the future.


	6. Chapter 5

**Warning! This chapter may be triggering for some! Scenes of mild verbal and physical abuse. I will mark off where these scenes take place so that those who may be sensitive to such things may skip them over.**

Hara entered the safety and comfort of her apartment as quietly as she could. She hadn't expected her mother to be home so early and she herself to be home so late. She hoped the Michitaru matriarch wasn't awake but when the lights flicked on, Hara's heart fell. Her mother stood in the open archway of the hall in a pale pink robe, fuzzy slippers and a scowl on her face.

"Oh, hey Mom," she smiled nervously and tucked in her chin.

"Where the hell have you been? Do you have any idea what time it is?" Michitaru Hinoe marched up to her daughter and grabbed her arm in a vice-like grip.

"I'm sorry, Mom! I ran into Suoh Kazaki at the mall and he invited me over for tea and dinner. I lost track of time."

The grip on her arm grew tighter. "And why the hell were you at some man's house? What business do you have over there?"

Hara began to cry. Her mother was a sweet woman most of the time, but when she was mad, for whatever reason, she always took it out harshly on Hara. The grip on her arm began to bruise her as her mother berated her over and over about being 'indecent' and a 'witch who couldn't keep her legs closed' regardless of the fact that Hara had done nothing to warrant it.

"It's not like that!" She cried out, tears flowing as she sobbed. "Grandpa Suoh only wants me to be friends with his grandson! He said that I'll be a good influence on him and keep him out of trouble! Please! You're hurting my arm!" Hinoe finally released her daughter's arm with a yank that scraped her nails against Hara's skin. The young teen could feel the burn from the deep scratch.

"You think I don't know what you're really doing? You think I'm stupid?!" Her mother was yelling now, her voice reaching an insane octave that sounded like it hurt. "I don't give a shit about your excuses! You stay away from that boy OR SO HELP ME GOD!"

Hara cowered as her mother stomped away and slammed her bedroom door. She stood there in the shadow of the front door and cried, too scared to move from her spot. Hara loved her mother dearly, but it was times like this that she wished the older woman would just die already.

Her tears continued to fall, but her sobs were quieter now. She could hear her mother's TV on in the other room and slowly she made her way to her own room and crawled into her bed, not even bothering to remove her day clothes. Pulling out her phone, Hara typed a short message to Mikoto.

'Sorry this is sudden, but my mom said we can't hang out anymore. Sorry.'

Not bothering to wait for a response, Hara blocked the young redhead's number and turned off her phone.

Monday was going to suck.

When morning came, Hara didn't want to open her eyes. She could feel the pressure pressing in her head from all her crying the night before and the sticky feeling as she peeled her eyes open only solidified her reluctance to get up. Not having much of a choice though, she pulled back her covers and got out of bed. Her mother was gone already, thank goodness, and she changed her clothes, brushed her hair and teeth, and went on her way to school. The walk was slow, she knew Mikoto would most likely be waiting for her especially after last night's text and blocking and she was trying to prolong the inevitable. However, it seemed luck would only be half on her side today for when Hara approached the gate, the grumpy boy was nowhere to be seen, but Kusanagi Izumo was. Internally groaning, Hara approached the senior boy.

'Yo, Michitaru-chan," he said happily.

Hara tried not to flinch at his chipper tone. "Hey, Kusanagi-san," she approached him with reluctance and gave a slight bow. She'd never been so formal with the boy before, but she felt she needed to set boundaries or her mother would punish her again.

"Are you okay?" Great, he'd noticed instantly though it probably wasn't that hard. Hara had appeared with puffy red eyes, dark circles, and a hunched posture. Kusanagi saw this and knew the young girl had had a rough night. It also explained how she felt about sending that text last night. But Kusanagi was determined to keep this young, vibrant ray of light in his friend's life, no matter the cost. "Mikoto told me about the text. I thought your mom was okay with this?"

Hara shrugged. "I have a feeling Grandpa Suoh never actually spoke to my mother. Otherwise, this would have happened sooner. Then again, who really knows. She flips back and forth with her moods a lot." She had always been pretty plain about her mother's behavior towards her, no one seemed to care and had since decided to just suffer through it until she was capable of living on her own.

Kusanagi furrowed his brows. He'd never seen this side of the normally cheerful young woman. Her apathetic mood put him on edge as his instinct to comfort her was bubbling to the surface. "If you need anything you just ask, okay?"

Hara was suddenly on the verge of tears hearing those words but fought them back. Kusanagi had seen but chose to say nothing about it. Unless she prompted him, he wouldn't say a word. Hara nodded her head at him and began to walk around him. He reached out a hand meant to stop her by her arm but she flinched and hissed at him when his fingers touched her.

"Sorry," he said suddenly aware of the way she held her arm.

"It's alright. My arm was scratched so it hurts a little." Hara lifted the sleeve of her uniform to look at the deep gouge in her arm.

Kusanagi felt the air whisk from his lungs as he saw her wounds. Those were scratches from fingernails and she seemed to be completely unperturbed by them. Kusanagi watched as she tenderly poked at her red, puffy wounds and he was sure an infection was brewing beneath the skin. Whoever did that had not cleaned their nails before scratching her so deeply. He tried not to cringe as an image of what those wounds would look like tomorrow as Hara lowered her sleeve. He cleared his throat, trying to banish the images from his mind and start speaking to her again.

"Mikoto is pretty hurt that you texted him that last night. I'm not trying to get you in trouble or guilt trip you or anything, but he wanted me to talk to you instead cause he might blow up. He thinks you're using your mom as an excuse to not be around him anymore."

Hara sighed and shook her head. "It's true, my mom is the reason we can't be around each other. She thinks I'm whoring myself out to him and his grandfather."

Kusanagi's blood ran cold. Hara shrugged and began to walk away again and this time Kusanagi didn't try to stop her. His mind was roiling with the information she'd just delivered and he quickly put two and two together. It was now obvious that the scratches were from her mom and he now knew why she'd done it. 'Poor Hara,' he thought sullenly and walked to his class.

Hara saw Mikoto brooding in his seat when she approached the classroom door, a circle of space between him and the other students. She walked to her desk with her focus on her feet and quietly watching Mikoto from the corner of her eye. He didn't look at her, either because he was too busy brooding or because he was willfully ignoring her. Either way, Hara was grateful for the opportunity to get her thoughts in order.

Mikoto was hyper-aware of Hara's every breath and it was driving him insane. He wanted so badly to throw his desk and rage about her flippant behavior. One minute they were friends and the next they weren't. He couldn't understand this girl for the life of him, but he couldn't help wanting to stay by her side. The whole situation was infuriating. Side-eyeing her through most of the day, he noticed it took her little effort to ignore his existence, as though she'd done this a million times before and he wondered if she had.

Finally, when the lunch break came around Mikoto thought for sure she would acknowledge him, but he was sorely disappointed when she only seemed more determined to ignore him. She rose quickly from her chair, lunchbox in hand and rushed from the room. Mikoto was determined not to let her get away and followed her swiftly, his long legs easily able to keep pace with the petite girl ahead of him.

Hara tried desperately to shake off the tall redhead to no avail. Unless she went sprinting through the halls, which was strictly not allowed, there was no way to lose him. Instead, she decided to inwardly prepare for the incoming shit storm and brace for the young man's anger. There was no other way out after all so why run? Entering the central outdoor area where the trio normally ate together, Hara found her usual spot by the tall oak and situated herself in the cool shade. Mikoto stood only a short distance away, glaring at a spot next to her shoe.

For the life of him, Mikoto just couldn't get angry with her. Not again. He focused on the dirt beside her shoe and refused to make eye contact. He was afraid that if he did, he might just explode. It was a God-sent miracle when Kusanagi appeared then and stood between the pair.

"Ah, Mikoto! I was hoping to talk to you before this happened." The older blonde laughed nervously and ran his fingers through the shirt head at the base of his neck. "I talked to her at the gate this morning," he said referring to Hara. "She was telling the truth about her mom. So, don't be angry with her, okay?"

Mikoto just continued to glare at the spot beside Hara's foot, not wanting the truth of the situation to bear down on him. After a moment he found himself laughing. He was being silly. Just because her mom said she couldn't hang out with them, didn't mean she had to necessarily listen. Kusanagi and Hara looked on curiously as Mikoto dissolved into full-blown laughter. He clutched his sides as he doubled over. After a moment he began to sober up and shook his head. "Alright, sorry 'bout that."

Hara smiled beautifully at him and Kusanagi winked at her.

"But you know," Mikoto continued. "You don't have to stop hanging with us."

Hara's eyes almost bulged out of her head. There was no way he was suggesting going behind her mom's back. "You're kidding? If she finds out, she'll kill me," Hara was beside herself at the sheer audacity then remembered this was Mikoto. He didn't listen to anyone and never did what he was told.

Mikoto shrugged at her. "It's your choice."

Kusanagi looked between the two then grabbed Mikoto by the shoulder and tugged him away. Leading him to the shade of a different tree a good distance away, Kusanagi began to whisper to Mikoto. "She was hurt."

Mikoto just side-eyed his friend. "Obviously, she looked like hell this morning."

"No, Mikoto," Kusanagi shook his head, his face pale. "She has really deep, and I mean deep, scratches on her arm from her mom. If she finds out that Hara is still friends with us, she could hurt her for real."

Mikoto felt the floor sway beneath him as he absorbed his senior's words. When they finally hit, his anger hit him like a wave and all he saw was red. Red like fire. His blood was burning, but Kusanagi was there calling his name. Then Hara was there, her big doe-like eyes peering at him with concern. He shook himself free of his anger's hold and closed his eyes. "Sorry," he said, taking a deep breath.

"Are you okay? Do you need anything?" Hara looked him over with furrowed brows, her heart hammered from the look of pure fury that had been on his face. He looked like he could kill someone.

"Food," he said simply, opening his eyes again to her still worried expression. She nodded regardless and turned back to her items left at the base of the opposite tree. Opening her bag, Hara pulled out a blue cloth bag and brought it over to the boys, handing it off to Mikoto.

"You liked that steak before, so I made more." Hara shuffled her feet shyly.

Kusanagi's ears immediately perked up at the word steak. "Share," he said to Mikoto with an air of authority.

Mikoto rolled his eyes. "You have your own damn food, stay away from mine."

Hara smiled at the two boys as they squabbled over the small order of food. She sat back under the tree by her bag, pulling out her own lunch and nibbling as the two boys finally quit their bickering. They joined her beneath the tree, making pleasant, normal conversation while pointedly ignoring their earlier disagreement.

"Michitaru-chan, you know there's a new messaging app going around right now. It's like an online chat room you can download on your phone. We can talk to each other without your mom knowing." Kusanagi looked at her with a smile and she thought for a minute.

"That could work, but I still can't hang out with you guys," Hara replied and continued to eat her food. "At least not outside of school," she amended at their downcast looks.

Kusanagi perked up immediately and nodded his head. "Let's do that then. This way you're listening to her and yet… Not?" He laughed while Mikoto just grunted in the affirmative.

Hara nodded and finished her food. "Alright, it's settled then. What's the app?"

Kusanagi showed her how to download it onto her phone and how to use the chat for the remainder of lunch.

After lunch, the day flew by without a hitch and Hara walked home alone, a million thoughts swirling in her head. She couldn't seem to keep her head on straight. Her thoughts were running wild as she went through all that had happened over the last few days. Since she'd met Suoh Mikoto, her life had been changed, her view of the world shifted. But this new obstacle wasn't a new one. She knew what she wanted to do, but could she?

Her mother couldn't necessarily control what she did in school and she had no way of knowing if Hara was listening to her or not. Go to school and then go home, that's what her life was going to be until she could get a job and get out of that house. Only a year and a half left and she would be free. She just had to play the game a bit longer.

Hara paused outside her apartment and took a deep breath. Her mother wasn't home yet, the beat-up blue hatchback nowhere to be seen. She had time to get her thoughts in order and come to a decision until her mom showed up. She entered, kicking off her shoes and slowing trudged to her room. She peeled away her clothes as she went over her options. But there was a lingering sense of dread in her mind as she came to a conclusion.

If she was caught there was no telling what would happen. The unpredictability of her mother's reaction made her heart speed up, her adrenaline climbing. She looked at herself in the mirror, her hair had grown longer, her clothes ill-fitting as she lost weight and gained more muscle. She knew she wouldn't be getting any new clothes any time soon, her uniform the only thing that fit her well. It was all that was important to her right now. Taking a deep breath she squared her shoulders, her reflection mimicking her, and changed into some loose-fitting sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt.

She entered the kitchen, wringing her hands in worry. Pulling out pots and pans, she thought to distract herself from her worries with making dinner as she waited for her mom to come home. If the house wasn't clean and the food not made, she wouldn't hear the end of it. She set down a pan with a bit of oil and started a pot of rice. Tonight's dinner would be simple, but it would last and be filling for the most part. She thought of putting aside an extra portion for Mikoto, the redhead appearing in her mind as she smiled. The front door began to rattle, signaling her mother's arrival and Hara braced herself.

Michitaru Hinoe was a petite woman in her mid-forties with short black hair and dark brown eyes. Her pale skin was growing loose on her arms and wrinkled at the corner of her eyes and mouth. She was still a very attractive woman and had a smile that was welcoming and beautiful - when she was pretending. Today, however, she scowled heavily, her eyes darker than normal and the deep-set frown grew stiff when she saw Hara in the kitchen before turning on her fake charm.

"Hi, sweetie! How was your day?" Hinoe kicked off her shoes and tossed her purse and jacket onto the sofa. Going into the kitchen she grabbed a cup of water and returned to the living room where she proceeded to pull open cabinets and take things off shelves and tossing items about. When she finally sat down, Hara gave her a simple response.

"Hi, it was fine. Kind of boring." Hara flipped the chicken in the pan, the sizzling penetrating the silence.

Hinoe turned on the television, turning the volume up on high. "It's a mess, what did you do all day?"

Hara gritted her teeth. It was clean when I got home, you stupid hag, she thought bitterly. "I was at school all day, remember? I had volleyball today too." She so badly wanted to lash out at her mother, but Hara knew that would result in a fight she would most likely lose.

"I'm sure if you quit that bullshit you would have time to actually clean," her mother mumbled, but loudly enough for Hara to hear. "You're only trying to be skinny for some guy," she said louder.

Hara tried her hardest not to scream. Without so much as batting an eye at her mother, she finished dinner and began to set the table. "I'm not, I like to play. And I've made a lot of friends on the team."

Hinoe got up and sat at the table. "Girl friends?"

"Yeah," Hara said with a smile. "Three girls - Takumi Shinori, Kagihara Aoi, and Sengoku Mirai. They're older than me, but they're really nice and we hang out when we can. They actually invited me out this weekend, I was hoping I could go?" Hara looked at her mother hopefully but the older woman seemed to be ignoring her.

Hinoe looked at her daughter as Hara stared at her expectantly. "Fine, as long as the house is clean and your homework is done. And no boys," her mother said with a hard look.

Hara nodded and smiled as she set the table. "Thanks, mom." At least now she had something to look forward to other than just staying in her room on her computer. Throughout dinner, she couldn't help but dance in her seat until her mother snapped at her to knock it off. But still, she wouldn't stop smiling.

When Hara crawled into bed that night she opened her phone and smiled at the little blue dot on her messaging app and poked it open. Seeing the three boys in the chat room, only two of whom were actually typing, Hara giggled to herself and sent a quick 'hello'. Her phone immediately was inundated with messages from Kusanagi and Totsuka and she couldn't help her grin. After hours of talking to them, the youngest and eldest of the group signed off and Hara was about to sleep when a message from Mikoto popped up.

_SM: 'Are you gonna sleep yet?'_

_MH: 'Not if you're gonna finally say something. Haha!'_

_SM: 'Why so rude? I can't keep up with those two.'_

_Hara snorted and nodded even though she knew he couldn't see it._

_MH: 'So true. It's fun tho, don't you think?'_

_SM: 'I guess'_

_Hara yawned and felt her eyes grow heavy._

_MH: 'I don't think I can stay awake much longer. I'll see you at school tomorrow.'_

_SM: 'Sure. Goodnight'_

_MH: 'Goodnight :D'_

Hara signed off and shuffled further under the blankets. Smiling, she fell asleep.

**A/N: **Hey guys! I know it's been a while and I am very sorry for that. I took a hiatus for the holidays so I could work my 40 hour weeks and spend time with my family without my writing suffering. Anyways, I hope you all like it. Please don't forget to review, follow, favorite, and follow me on Twitter! All the links to my social media can be found on my Twitter which can be found on my profile page.

**Shoutouts!**

**PrisD, Sandelly, HorrorFan13 & steph557: **Thank you guys for the follow and favorite! I'm hoping for some reviews from you guys. Constructive criticism is always something I look forward to.

**PrisD: **My Spanish is poor, but I was able to understand this lol! Thank you so much for the love! I hope you enjoy the future chapters as well. :D


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Hara threw open the door to the hospital room, Mikoto and Kusanagi at her heels. Totsuka Tatara perked up from his hospital pillow, his foot in a cast and elevated to shoulder height. Seeing the trio, he grinned from ear to ear and greeted them warmly.

"Hey! What brings you here, King?" Izumo looked at Mikoto and voiced his surprise.

"Who did this to you?" Mikoto asked, but Totsuka didn't answer. Hara stood behind the taller teens and just looked on at the exchange.

"Look, kid," said Izumo, stepping forward and pointing at Mikoto with his thumb over his shoulder, "if you hang around this guy, you'll end up like this again. You might think you'll be safe near someone strong, but it's the exact opposite."

He looked at Izumo and then smiled warmly. "Okay, I'll be careful from now on," Izumo sighed and tried again.

"Kid, let me say this again-" He was cut off when Mikoto kicked the boy's bed, startling them both. Hara could see he was mad and she shook her head, keeping her silence.

"I asked who did this to you?" Mikoto scowled down at Totsuka who only continued to smile.

The boy now sitting up blinked at Mikoto for a moment before looking down. "Before I tell you, King... I have a huge favor to ask. Will you hear me out?" Hara thought he might ask for his attackers' mercy or something.

Mikoto nodded in reply.

"My foot... It itches like hell! Could you scratch it for me?" He said happily with a stupid grin on his face. And to the boy's happiness and the other teens' surprise, Mikoto scratched his foot for him. Followed by a good punch to his head before Mikoto left the room in a huff.

Hara stared after him and smiled lightly.

"You're one reckless kid. Don't blame me if he kills you," Izumo told the boy only to receive another silly grin.

"Hey, don't sweat it... It'll all work out," He looked down again with a somewhat serious look on his face and spoke again. "I'm going to become the king's vassal. That guy's going to become someone great. He might become like a real king, don't you think?" Hara looked at the boy in disbelief and then thought, for probably the millionth time, that he was one strange kid. He turned his gaze to Hara as she smiled at him warmly. "Hara-chan! You came to wish me a speedy recovery?" He chuckled at her when she rolled her eyes.

"Just came to see what stupid thing you did to get yourself in this situation," she winked at him making him blush and glimpse in the direction Mikoto left in quickly. "What's up with that reaction, kid?"

"Ah, well~" He trailed off as he looked towards the door again.

This time Hara saw the nervous hesitation in his gaze. "Speak up, midget!" She barked playfully.

"I just feel weird. I don't wanna piss off King," Totsuka scratched his head while Hara rolled her eyes with a chuckle.

"There's no reason for that," Hara reasoned and twirled a bit of her hair.

"Huh? But aren't you King's girlfriend?" Totsuka's innocent question made the whole room freeze.

"Eh? Since when? No one told me anything?" Kusanagi said confusedly while looking back and forth between Hara and the door.

The heat reached the tips of Hara's ears and she shoved her face into her hands. "Oh my God! No, we're not like that at all!" Before anyone could react, she ran from the room, her face still a bright shade of red.

"A-ah, did I say something wrong?" Totsuka asked with a finger scratching at his cheek nervously.

"You seriously jumped to conclusions," Kusanagi said flatly.

Mikoto was outside leaning on a tree when Hara approached with a red face and a scowl. Mikoto looked her over with a thoughtful expression.

"Where's Kusanagi?" He asked and she shook her head.

"With the brat still," she said and began to walk away.

Izumo ran up to them as Hara's back began to grow further away. Mikoto pushed himself up from against the tree and followed her, Kusanagi at his side.

"So what happened?" Mikoto asked while looking at Kusanagi sideways.

"Ah, well~" Kusanagi scratched the back of his head and called out to Hara. "Hey, don't be mad, Hara-chan! He didn't know better," Kusanagi flinched when she turned and met his gaze with a hard glare.

"I don't care. He can't just make assumptions like that," she spit out venomously. They barely heard her when she muttered 'stupid brat' under her breath.

"What happened, Kusanagi?" Mikoto said lazily.

Kusanagi sighed and shook his head. "He thought you and Hara-chan were dating."

Mikoto laughed and covered his mouth when Hara turned on him.

"It's not funny, you idiot!" She yelled and stomped her foot. "If he thinks that then who else does?" She pouted and looked at her feet. "I'm tired of people assuming I have such low standards."

"Hey!" Mikoto yelled at her.

She just rolled her eyes at him.

Izumo chuckled at the pair. "You know, you two would never fit."

Mikoto raised a brow in question.

"Hara-chan is normally sweet and the mother-type while Mikoto is, well, scary-looking." He laughed again as Hara smiled and nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Mikoto looked murderous.

"I hate you both," he said and walked away from the pair.

"He's not wrong, Mikoto. I'm far too delicate a lady for someone gruff like you," she smiled smugly at him as he passed her only for him to smirk at her.

"You're a lady?" He asked mockingly.

She swung for him only for Mikoto to dodge instinctively. "Bastard!" She yelled at him.

He laughed at her and Kusanagi trotted up to them, trying to play peacekeeper. "See what I mean? A lady would never use foul language. How disappointing."

Kusanagi ran ahead as Hara began to chase the two boys, trying to pummel them.

The next day, Hara was deep in her thoughts when she bumped into someone solid at the school gates. Intending to apologize she paused when her gaze met golden orbs. "Oh, Mikoto? You're on time for once," she said and took a step back. That was when she noticed Kusanagi and Totsuka there as well. "Wait, why are you all here?" She asked as Mikoto held out a hand and she handed him a brown paper bag and a juice box from her bag.

Kusanagi sighed at her. "When do you plan to stop spoiling him, Hara-chan?"

Hara just shrugged at him. "If I don't feed him, he doesn't eat or just eats junk food. Your grandpa is loaded anyway, so why don't you bring your own food?"

Mikoto just stared at her. "Their food sucks," he said blandly as he rummaged through the paper bag and pulled out a piece of bread and an apple.

She rolled her eyes at him and turned to Totsuka. "So why are you here? Isn't your school like three blocks away?"

"Oh yeah, but my classes don't start until later today." He smiled at her with his signature grin.

"And how are your injuries?"

He looked down at his casted arm and leg while leaning on his crutches. "Much better today, thanks, Hara-chan!"

She smiled at him and turned back to the older boys. "We should head in, the bell will ring soon."

"Hara-chan," Totsuka spoke up and looked at her in wonder. "Are you the one who takes care of King?"

Hara laughed at him and shrugged. "I guess, not like it's hard. He's a simple guy who just wants food and naps." She made a face at Mikoto that made him smile at her. "But really, we gotta go kid, we'll visit you later."

Totsuka smiled and waved as he made his way down the street slowly. Kusanagi led the way into the school as Hara picked at some canned peaches she'd brought along.

"He's a sweet kid. Such a shame he's so damn stupid," Hara said with a peach slice in between her lips.

Kusanagi laughed at her. "Though, he might die young if he keeps hanging out with this guy," he said with a thumb pointing at Mikoto who scowled at him.

Hara frowned. "And what about me? You've never expressed concern for my well-being."

Kusanagi smiled apologetically. "Honestly, I don't worry about you. I worry for whoever pisses you off."

The three teens laughed at the joke. "And what's that supposed to mean?" She said nonchalantly.

"You're nothing like a lady should be," Mikoto said with a half-grin.

Hara swung her bag at his head making the two boys bolt into the school laughing.

In class, Hara noticed a ruckus building among the girls when a classmate approached her.

"Michitaru-san, are you planning on giving out chocolates as well?" Hara was confused as the other girl looked at her with pleasant expectations.

"Honestly, I don't know why I would," she said simply with a shrug. "Is there an event coming up?"

The girl looked shocked and clasped her hands together as she leaned forward. "Valentine's Day of course!"

Hara paled and chuckled. "I forgot that was even a thing anymore." She looked over to Mikoto who was already lazily snoozing with his head on his crossed arms. She shook her head. "I don't even like anyone, so there's no point in making chocolates."

"Eh? But I thought you were going out with Yakumo-san?"

Hara blinked owlishly at her. "Who now?" Hara watched the girl fidget uncomfortably before she apologized and ran away._ 'Most likely to not out the poor boy,'_ Hara thought to herself then sighed. Mikoto had slept through the entire exchange and she wasn't too surprised. _'A shame he didn't hear though,'_ she stopped the thought before it could finish solidifying and shook her head again. Taking her seat, she waited patiently for the teacher to arrive, still trapped in her thoughts.

Hara was sure her head was about to explode. Mikoto had managed to get himself another detention. "Really? I take my eyes off of you for maybe five seconds and you're fighting. Then you get caught and get _another_ detention."

He looked down at his feet grumpily.

Rolling her eyes she crossed her arms. "What am I going to do with you?"

Mikoto shrugged at her, earning a smack from the young woman. Rubbing his head he glared at her. "They started it."

"'They started it.' What are you? Five?" She watched him open his mouth to respond but held up a hand to stop him. "On second thought, don't answer that." Turning away from him, she snatched up her bag and pulled out the lunch she'd prepared for him that morning. She handed it to him which he took with a grumbled 'thank you' before digging into his meal. "Honestly, you're going to get expelled. I can't keep covering for you."

Said boy only continued to eat without so much as a grunt in reply.

Kusanagi gave a sympathetic look directed at Hara. "Sorry, you gotta deal with him all the time."

She smiled back at Kusanagi. "No worries, just trying to keep my promise to the Senator."

Mikoto flinched ever so slightly at her words and growled with his juice box straw in his mouth.

"Oh hush, you," she said jokingly. "Anyways, let's head back to class. Lunch is gonna be over soon."

**A/N:** All the links to my social media can be found on my Twitter which can be found on my profile page.

**Shoutouts!**

**silvermoon95 & nervousdreamer19: **Thank you guys for the follow and favorite! I'm hoping for some reviews from you guys. Constructive criticism is always something I look forward to.

**Reviews!**

**PrisD: **This explains why I was so confused LOL, sorry for the confusion. :) I really appreciate your feedback and yeah, I ship it too :D Anyways, Hara's mom is gonna be a bit of an enigma for a while there, sorry. But I can assure you, her mom will be getting her just desserts.


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